Gordon Eakin has seen a lot of things over his 24 years as BYU’s softball coach, but never the kind of schedule his Cougars will face in 2026 — and he has no one to blame but himself and his program.
“It was a little bit of a growth process in the Big 12,” Eakin told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show. “We knew we had to have an above .500 record to get an at-large bid. So, we were a little bit careful with our nonconference schedule in our first two years.”
As is evident by what’s coming, BYU is done being careful. During the Cougars’ first 23 games away from Provo, they will face No. 4 Tennessee, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 UCLA, No. 9 Clemson, No. 22 Washington, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Missouri and Auburn.
“We feel like we have grown enough and our players are used to the competition that we could stretch a little bit more,” Eakin said. “The way you get better is by playing the best. That preseason schedule is by far the toughest we have ever had. We are ready for it. That should get us ready for (No. 1) Texas Tech.”
For the veteran coach, the competition is like a tall drink of cold water on a hot day.
“Going into the Big 12 has in and of itself been a rejuvenator. If you don’t have the energy, desire and competitive nature, it just swallows you up, but I have all those things,” he said. “The Big 12 has helped shake things up and make it so you can’t rest, and if you are a competitor at all, it’s just incredible competition.”
BYU finished 2025 with a 32-17 record, including 13-11 in the Big 12, but they were the “first team out” when the NCAA Tournament pairings were announced. Eakin believes he has a squad and a schedule structured to get the Cougars back in when May rolls around.
Top guns
BYU added 10 newcomers to a roster Eakin thinks could find membership among his best teams and for a coach that has 863 career victories, that’s saying something. But there are four that will be called on to carry a large portion of the load.
Ilove’a Brittingham: D1 Softball tabbed the 5-foot-9 sophomore from Nipomo, California, No. 49 among its top 100 players, the No. 14 utility player and the No. 11 outfielder. Last season, Brittingham earned first team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors by hitting .410 with 21 home runs and 69 runs batted in.
“I think you will see what you saw last year,” Eakin said. “She has tightened up her zone, and she is more disciplined and I think that is the biggest thing, and be engaged every single day. You can’t take a day off at this level. I think she has learned that. She is potentially a first team All-American and she is very entertaining to watch.”
Lilly Owens: Ranked the No. 21 outfielder by D1 Baseball, the 5-foot-9 senior from Chino Hills, California, had just one error in 49 games last season. Owens also hit .361 and scored 47 runs and was named first team All-Big 12.
“Lily is our spark plug. When she gets going and the whole team gets going,” Eakin said. “She has power, speed and is kind of (the) cornerstone of our offense.”
Hailey Morrow: D1 Baseball ranks the 5-foot-9 Las Vegan as the No. 9 shortstop after hitting .310 with 11 home runs, 32 RBI and only five errors in 48 games.
“She is not only special on the field, but also a special human being,” Eakin said of Morrow, who serves as president of BYU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. “She is the leader on our team. All the girls look up to her. She is very selfless — the kind of kid that everybody wants on their team.”
Kaysen Korth: The 5-foot-7 senior pitcher from Bluffdale, Utah, fought through a series of injuries last season but still went 16-6 with a 2.25 ERA and 102 strikeouts.
“Kaysen is the real deal. When she is healthy she is tough,” Eakin said. “She has been (healthier) this fall and we are hoping to maintain that.”
Korth and the Cougars open the season Feb. 5 against No. 4 Tennessee in Clearwater, Florida.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.